BULAWAYO: Zimbabwe grabbed a consolation two-wicket victory over Pakistan in a thrilling final Twenty20 international on Thursday, with tailender Richard Ngarava getting them over the line with one ball to spare.
Pakistan, seeking a series sweep after winning the first two matches by 57 runs and 10 wickets respectively, rested several key players and made 132-7 off 20 overs in Bulawayo.
Zimbabwe responded strongly initially with opener Brian Bennett scoring 43, but the Pakistan bowlers hit back and the loss of home captain Sikandar Raza (19) spelt trouble.
Needing 12 runs from the last over for victory, Tinotenda Maposa struck a four, a six and a single to level the scores with three balls remaining.
Tashinga Musekiwa was caught by Tayyab Tahir off the bowling of Jahandad Khan to increase the tension at the Queens Sports Club.
Ngarava then became the hero, striking the penultimate ball back toward Khan. It hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end and deflected to mid-off for the winning run as Zimbabwe reached 133-8.
Top scorer Bennett said: “We have got Afghanistan from next week in all formats so it is nice to win and establish some momentum.”
Pakistan skipper Salman Agha reserved special praise for batter Saim Ayub and wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem after the two white-ball series victories.
“I think Saim and Sufiyan have long futures ahead and will serve Pakistan for many years. Saim has been playing all three formats and doing really well. Sufiyan too.”
Bennett hit a six and six fours in his knock as he took Zimbabwe to 73-2 before wickets started to fall regularly.
Agha was the leading Pakistan scorer with a 32 that included three fours while Blessing Muzarabani took two wickets for Zimbabwe.
Pakistan, who also beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in a one-day international series, now head to South Africa for an eight-match all-formats tour that starts on December 10 with a Twenty20 international.
Zimbabwe pip Pakistan in T20 thriller for consolation win
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Zimbabwe pip Pakistan in T20 thriller for consolation win
- Pakistan was seeking series sweep after winning the first two matches by 57 runs and 10 wickets respectively
- Pakistan, who also beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in ODI series, now head to South Africa for eight-match all-formats tour
Pakistan sells Multan Sultans for record $8.7 million ahead of PSL 11th edition
- New owner Walee Technologies plans to change franchise’s name to Rawalpindi
- PCB chairman says ‘Multan Sultans still dear to my heart, will think of something’
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday sold Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans for a record Rs2.45 billion ($8.7 million), ahead of the 11th edition of the Twenty20 tournament.
The 11th edition of the tournament will kick off on March 26, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Friday, which will feature eight franchises competing across multiple venues.
The previous owner of Multan Sultans, Ali Tareen, announced in Dec. he was walking away from the ownership of the franchise. The PCB said earlier said it will run the Multan Sultans team for the 11th edition before looking for a potential buyer.
Walee Technologies, which specializes in media, finance and technology, bought the rights for the franchise for $8.7 million at an auction held in Lahore, with local media reporting the new owner planned to change its name to Rawalpindi.
“I cannot ask the person paying Rs2.45bn to keep the name Multan Sultans,” Naqvi told reporters after the auction. “Multan Sultans is still dear to my heart, but we will think of something.”
Walee Technologies was among five bidders that participated in the auction, which came a month after Hyderabad and Sialkot joined the PSL 11th edition.
FKS, an aviation and health care conglomerate based in the US who also run the Chicago Kingsmen team, bought the Hyderabad franchise for a whopping Rs1.75 billion ($6.2 million). The other winner was OZ
Developers, a real estate consortium, which bought the Sialkot franchise for Rs1.85 billion ($6.55 million) at the auction.
The PSL has become a key pillar of the country’s cricket economy, providing financial stability to the PCB and serving as a talent pipeline for the national team.
The league, which features a mix of local and international players, already had six city-based teams, including Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans, Lahore Qalandars, Islamabad United, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators.
